I found it....never mind.
Time for Plan B
T.O. might not be out as long as feared, but the Cowboys are making backup plans
By MAC ENGEL
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
IRVING -- Terrell Owens underwent successful surgery on his right hand Monday afternoon.
Three screws and a plate were inserted to repair the broken ring finger he suffered in the Cowboys' 27-10 victory against the Commanders on Sunday night.
"[The plate] pretty much fixes it," Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said. "It's a question of what you can do once they put that in there. It's not going anywhere. You're not going to displace it again, so it's just a question of can you get it functional."
There is no new timetable for Owens' return. As of Sunday night, it was two to four weeks, and Parcells wasn't guessing when Owens would come back. With the Cowboys in the start of their bye week, there is no need to push it.
If Owens can function with the plate, he may not miss a game. Parcells said he could not recall having a receiver play with that injury.
Right now, the early thought is Owens will miss the Cowboys' next game, Oct. 1 in Tennessee against the 0-2 Titans.
And that he will return in time to play the following week's game: Oct. 8, in Philadelphia.
"No, that wouldn't shock me," one Cowboy official said with a smile.
Owens has made no secret of his desire to play against the Eagles, and in Philadelphia. It's a nationally televised game on FOX, and it will be his first game in Philly since he became persona non grata there.
Parcells said he was unaware of Owens' condition until late in the game, when his receiver was walking to the locker room with team trainers. Owens caught three passes in the game, but dropped four.
While not singling out Owens in a game where Cowboys receivers dropped eight passes, Parcells said he didn't believe the injury was to blame for Owens' drops.
With Owens out of the lineup, even if for only a short while, the Cowboys will be forced to pick from a crop of unproven players behind Owens to play alongside Terry Glenn.
Either Patrick Crayton, Sam Hurd and Jamaica Rector will start in place of Owens. Neither Hurd nor Rector has caught a pass in an NFL regular-season game.
"It's certainly a concern because I don't have a lot of veteran experience there," Parcells said. "It is a little less bothersome because I've seen the development of some of these kids."
The Cowboys knew since the start of training camp that such a scenario could be a problem.
Between 2000 and 2004, Owens missed six regular-season games because of various injuries. He missed at least one game because of an injury from '02 through '04. It's not uncommon for a 32-year-old receiver to be a little more prone to an injury, or two.
It's one of the reasons why the Cowboys tried out several receivers during training camp. But they eventually decided to go with what they have.
Unfortunately, no one presents the physical matchup problems Owens does. No one commands two defenders nearly every play.
So now Glenn will. The Cowboys will do their best to move him around to keep him effective, but defenses are likely to concentrate on him.
"That's a blow to the team, for sure," Cowboys quarterback Drew Bledsoe said Owens' injury Sunday night. "He's a guy that's a playmaker for us. But we'll have to step up and compensate for that until he gets back."
Expect tight ends Jason Witten and Anthony Fasano to see more passes. Running back Marion Barber, too.
The timing of the injury isn't bad in the sense that the Cowboys' bye is this week.
The timing of the injury is bad in the sense that Owens appeared to be integrating well into the offense, and with his new teammates.
Cowboys cornerback Terence Newman said Owens addressed the team Sunday morning and in the locker room before the game.
After missing nearly all of training camp and the first three preseason games because of a sore hamstring, Owens was just about caught up.
"We won ballgames without T.O. before he was here," Newman said. "It just allows somebody to step up and get a chance make some plays."
dallascowboys.com
Moving on
Wide receiver Terrell Owens fractured the fourth metacarpal in his right hand against Washington on Sunday. Coach Bill Parcells said the Cowboys will pick up the slack with players already on the roster to play opposite Terry Glenn.
